Confronting the Opposition: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Murad Saeed’s Speeches against PML-N and PPP Governments in the National Assembly

Abstract

The current paper aims to analyze the speeches delivered by Murad Saeed, a Pakistani politician who served as Federal Minister for Communication and for Postal Services, in the National Assembly, in which he compares the performance of Imran khan’s government with that of the former governments (PML-N and PPP). Otherization in political discourse is a prevalent tool of establishing legitimacy. Political discourse may express an event or expose the hidden agenda of a particular political figure, party, or organization. Therefore, political discourse analysis seeks to highlight the discursive strategies used by political actors. The researchers have analyzed various indicators of Van Dijk’s Ideological Square Model in the speeches. The analysis sheds light on how language and linguistic techniques are employed as instruments to establish a distinct contrast between political parties. The findings reveal that the speaker has employed various discursive strategies such as evidentiality, number game, comparison, and hyperbole to legitimize his political stance. His discursive strategies are politically persuasive and reinforce the image of PTI as a reformist party. Further exploration of additional indicators of “US” vs. “Them” is recommended in not only Murad Saeed’s parliamentary speeches but also of other politicians.